Why you should invest in Machine Control for your excavator By Joel Seddon Machine control for excavators has been available for years and 3D GPS excavator systems are useful in eliminating errors by reducing over excavation, the need to re-work and the costs associated with this. If you haven’t invested in machine control now is the time to add it to your business! Topcon have released a system that is specifically designed for excavator use – the Topcon X-63i Solution. Unlike other 3D GPS systems available on the market, which are designed primarily to connect to the machine’s hydraulics and automate the blade movement for dozers, graders and the like, Topcon’s X-63i solution is built for excavators only. What
The combination of decades of grader operating experience, plus Topcon’s millimetre GPS precision machine control system, recently saw Perth operator Jeff O’Donnell pick up an award on a major project for consistently achieving the best tolerances. Jeff has been operating graders for over 35 years, and runs a fleet of four graders – two Cat 12Hs, a John Deere 770GP and a Noram M65 through his company J&J O’Donnell – with all four graders set up to run Topcon’s mmGPS and 3D-MC2 systems. The work Jeff and his team carry out includes major road and rail projects, around Perth, as well as in more remote areas of the state. Currently he and three of his graders are part
From left to right: Bernard Cecchele (Aptella WA Sales Manager), Darryl Shields (Aptella Sokkia Sales Consultant), Greg Frankish (Sokkia Regional Sales Manager) and Garry MacPhail (Aptella WA Regional Manager). Aptella has extended its product portfolio to include the complete range of Sokkia survey systems for customers in Western Australia. “We are delighted to offer the Sokkia range to our WA customers, with a dedicated sales specialist based in our Perth office along with a team of experts that can assist with training, support, calibrations and repairs,” said Garry MacPhail, Aptella’ WA Regional Manager and Positioning Solutions Business Manager. “The Sokkia brand has a long-standing reputation for superior measurement capabilities, accuracy and reliability across its survey solutions and optical
Topcon Positioning Group announces an agreement with concrete paving manufacturer GOMACO Corporation to provide 3D control systems for its machines. GOMACO will directly offer components for new and existing systems including curb and gutter machines, concrete slipform pavers, placer/spreaders and trimmers. “Equipment suppliers have a major influence over machine control buying decisions and GOMACO has a strong customer base that can benefit from Topcon 3D paving systems,” said Bill Painter, senior manager machine control paving products. “GOMACO will offer on-machine 3D components that will best fit the customer’s needs including Topcon’s unique Millimeter GPS system.” “For applications such as curb and gutter, Millimeter GPS offers the best, simplest solution with high-accuracy and productivity,” said Brian Lingobardo, Topcon 3D
The Summerhill Waste Management Centre (SWMC) has available air space in excess of 14,000,000 m3, an approved tonnage limit of 364,000 tonnes per annum and no time limit on existing development consent. SWMC will be able to operate until all available air space is exhausted. Located in Wallsend, west of Newcastle, New South Wales, Summerhill Landfill has operated since 1996. The 264-hectare site, located on the site of an old colliery, receives around 190,000 tonnes of waste of which 60,000 tonnes per annum of general solid waste is from Commercial & Industrial (C&I) sources. In 2011, the City of Newcastle endorsed a Development Application for the Stage Two Development of the Summerhill Landfill Waste Management site. This application
Topcon Positioning Group has released the LZ-T5 next generation laser transmitter for use with its Millimetre GPS precision positioning system, delivering enhanced performance and increased ease of use. Distributed exclusively in Australia through Topcon distributor Aptella, Millimetre GPS is an exclusive Topcon technology that allows traditional GPS measurement and machine control systems to improve its vertical accuracy by up to 400%. According to Murray Lodge, Topcon Positioning Group’s senior vice president and general manager of its Construction Business Unit, the new LZ-T5 uses patented zone-beam laser technology to continuously provide high accuracy elevation information to improve GNSS positioning “When Topcon introduced Millimetre GPS technology a decade ago, we expanded the advantages of GPS technology into high-precision applications and
Aptella has announced two BIM (building information modelling) hardware and software solutions that offer ease of use, along with full integration between them. They are Topcon Positioning Group’s LN-100 3D positioning system, a combined robotic total station and self-levelling laser designed specifically for construction layout, and Autodesk’s BIM 360™ construction management software. Topcon LN-100 3D positioning system Topcon’s new LN-100 is said to be the world’s first 3D positioning system designed specifically for construction layout. According to Eduardo Falcon, Topcon Positioning Group Executive Vice President and General Manager for its GeoPositioning Solutions Group, the LN-100 introduces seamless integration and flow of project data from the design to the field. “This unit provides straightforward operation, removing the intimidation factor
Pioneering the use of Topcon millimetre GPS technology on a slipform kerbing machine has really paid off for Sydney-based Statewide Kerbing in terms of significantly increased productivity, improved site safety, labour savings and accuracy to within 2-3 mm. Statewide Kerbing specialises in offering slipform paving and kerbing services throughout NSW. The company has 25 employees and operates a fleet of six slipform pavers, including four Power Curbers, one Miller M1000 and an Arrow 750XL. With more than 40 years of industry experience, company co-owner Brian Scattergood has seen dramatic changes in the use of technology in recent years. And he attributes the company’s adoption of new technology to his son and business partner, Warren. “I am more traditional
